Trunk.



PATENTED JULY 12, 1904. J. P. CLARK.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21. 1904.

NO MODEL.

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' ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES Patented July 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES P. CLARK, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE R. NEUMANN HARDWARE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TRUNK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,128, dated July 12, 1904.

Application filed January 21, 1904. Serial -filo-189,972. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES P. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark,

in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trunks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in trunks, in which improvements are employed certain detail constructions shown and claimedin my cotemporaneous applications having Serial Nos. 189,970 and 189,971, respectively.

The object of this invention is to facilitate access to the contents of a trunk and to obtain other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved trunk and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figures l and 2 are transverse vertical sectional views of a trunk of my improved construction, the section being taken at one side of certain locking devices of the trunk, as at line y, Fig. 3, the trunk being shown closed in Fig. 1 and open in Fig. 2.. Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of portions of the lid and body and the locking devices thereof. Fig. i is a section of the same taken at line 00 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the lower-tray catches hereinafter described.

In said drawings, 10 indicates the body of the trunk, and 11 is the lid or cover, hinged at 12 to said body in any usual manner. In

14: being suspended from the cleats by means of angle-irons 16, the upper horizontal flanges of which rest on said cleats in the usual manner, and the upper tray being directly seated on said cleats when the trunk is closed. The upper tray is adapted to be raised pivotally from its horizontal position on the cleat, turning on the hinge-pins 17, while the lower tray also turns pivotally, the rear edges 18 of the flanged angle irons 16 resting on the cleats and serving as the pivotal bearings. The catching means for holding the upper tray to the cover or lid when the latter is open, as

in Fig. 2, are clearly shown and described in my cotemporaneous application, filed on even date herewith, and is not described in detail herein excepting to state that the locking-hasp 20, pivoted on said lid or cover and adapted to enter into locked relation with the body of the trunk to hold said lid and body together, is provided with a catching-finger 21, which projects rearwardly from the hasp to enter into catching relation with a cooperating catch 22 on the front of the upper tray 15. The said catching-finger 21 is thrown to its catching relation by a spring 23 and is thus adapted to enter automatically into catching relation when the tray is raised on its pivot 17. The tray-pivot 17 is eccentric to the lidpivot 12, and the parts are so related that when thelid is lowered to its closed position the catches 21 22 disengage, and when the lid is again raised the tray 15 remains on its seat .on the cleats 13 until lifted by hand. The lower tray 14 is likewise provided with a catch 25, adapted to engage a cooperating catch 26 on the bottom of the upper tray. The detail construction and operation of these catches are described in another coternporaneous applioation.

In this case I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to any detail construction of the several catches, the invention herein referring more particularly to the relation and operations of the trays and catches generally.

The catch 25 is preferably a spring-controlled hook, the hooked end 27, Fig. 5, of which is rounded or beveled at its projecting extremity, so as to catch automatically upon the cooperating catch 26 when the lower lid is raised. Inasmuch as the tray 14 is free to slide along on the cleats 13 at its pivot or fulcrum 18 when opening or raising said tray,

the cooperating catch 26 is made of considerable length, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to receive the hook at various points in its length. Said long catch is preferably of sheet metal bent longitudinally into the form of a hook, as in Fig. 5, where it is shown in endwise perspective. The forward end of this long catch 26 terminates at a point at which it will permit of an automatic detachment of the catches when the trays are lowered to the position of Fig. 1.

In practice on opening the trunk the lid is unlocked in the usual manner, and the spring 23 not only detaches the hasp from the cooperating catch 29 of the body 10, but also throws the finger 21 inward, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 4; but its inward movement is not to such an extent as to effect an immediate engagement of the catches. The lid or cover is then raised to give access to the interior. Should I desire to open the lower tray, the upper lid is opened pivotally' and thrown backward against the interior side of the lid and automatically held in its open position. Should I then wish to enter the bottom of the trunk, I in like manner raise the second or lower tray and throw it into catching relation to the upper tray, where it is held in its raised position, permitting a free examination of the contents of the bottom of said trunk. I may then lower the lid to close the trunk, and in doing so the catches release when the said lid and the trays caught thereto are at or nearly at their closed positions, as above indicated.

Should I prefer, I may so dispose the parts in relation to one another as to maintain a catching relation of the parts 18 21 when the trunk is closed, and in this event a disengagement of catch members may be effected by pressing on the hasp, and thus disengaging the catch members.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The improved trunk comprising a trunkbody and a lid hinged thereon, and catch members adapted to cooperate to fasten the lid down upon the body, and upper and lower trays pivotally arranged Within said trunk, the said trays having cooperating catch members, the catch member of the lid having an inwardly-extending finger adapted to engage the upper tray to hold the same to the lid, said finger being adapted to be withdrawn from said upper tray when the lid-catch is brought into locking engagement with the body-catch and to hold the two trays in their raised positions, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the trunk-body and its pivotal lid, the said body having a locking member and the lid a pivoted hasp having a finger extending into the trunk, and a spring adapted to throw said hasp from the catching member of the body when unlocked and the finger into position to engage a tray when said lid is open and the said tray is raised.

3. In a trunk, the locking-hasp adapted to be attached to the lid and enter into locking engagement with the body of the trunk, said hasp having a finger adapted to enter the trunk to engage a tray therein and having a spring adapted to simultaneously throw the hasp from the trunk-body and the finger into position to receive the tray, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of December, 1903.

JAMES P. CLARK. Witnesses: CHARLES H. PnLL,

RUssELL M. EVERETT. 

